Spain: Kaki prices staying high for longer this season

Prices at the start of the campaign have been similar to those obtained last year: 1.60 Euro in the European market; however, "This year we have managed to keep prices high for longer," explains José Marco Iborra, founder of Marco Iborra. Moreover, he adds that "Although prices are not at the level we would like (between 0.50 and 1 Euro, depending on the category), this is a season with a very good quality product and this is helping us sell fruit every day without having to put any in the warehouse."

"Despite having a great potential and consumption being on the rise, kakis are not yet commonly purchased in most households." Nevertheless, in recent years, this Spanish company has seen an increase in demand and, as a result, has been expanding the acreage until its production has reached some 407,000 tonnes per campaign. In fact, Spain is one of the largest producers and this trend has been followed by many other growers who have seen the fruit's great potential in the international market.

Many countries are becoming frequent consumers of kakis, more specifically of the Rojo Brillante variety. The UK, France and Germany are among them; however, markets on the Asian continent, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, are growing at a great pace and could reach the top positions in a few years. "We are also making shipments to the Arab Emirates and we would like to start establishing contacts in Canada or India," explains Marco.